ABSTRACT
When people seek medical help from their general practitioners, they will frequently take their medication only until their condition improves, unless they have a chronic condition which necessitates taking medication on an ongoing basis to prevent the return of symptoms. In therapy, when the clients do homework assignments successfully they may well stop carrying them out once their disturbed feelings and self-defeating behaviours diminish. They may not reinstitute such assignments until they begin to experience their troublesome symptoms again. To counteract this tendency, suggest to your clients that they allocate a small period of each day to emotional self-help, even though they may not be disturbed. The rationale give for this is that continued self-help enables clients to internalize rational beliefs and consolidate the gains they have already achieved in therapy. It also conveys that to maintain and enhance mental health takes ongoing work.
